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Public transportation in Japan can be very crowded, especially in big cities like Tokyo, so it isn't the easiest place to be for parents pushing a young child in a stroller. With such little space, many have felt obligated to attempt the balancing act of collapsing the stroller and holding their child during the ride.

Now, they don't have to. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has standardized [ja] the rules across its systems to allow strollers on board public transportation without being folded. The ministry has also designated a priority seat for parents, which will be marked with a special sticker.The new rules do still encourage parents to collapse strollers when transit is especially crowded, however.

According to a ministry report [ja] that details the background behind implementing the new rules, there are no statistics available for the use of baby carriages on public transportation. But it is estimated that 1-2 percent of passengers are accompanied by strollers at transport hubs in big cities, a figure 20 to 30 times higher than that of passengers in wheelchairs.

The report also noted that compared to other regions, Tokyo is less comfortable for people with strollers on public transit:

Image published by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Parents will no longer have to fold strollers when riding on trains and buses.

We should continue to bear in mind the time, place and occasion. I appreciate the government taking on this issue while some will continue to say “you should fold the stroller anyway”. Though I've never taken trains with a baby stroller because I am scared how other passengers would look at me.

Hmmm, to see how things have changed nowadays. Back when I was taking care of my baby, I disliked getting on the train with a baby stroller, and I would travel carrying my baby in front with a baby sling. The result is my child grew up to be one of those who refuses to get into a baby stroller. (laughing)

Another user, maguro610, recalled what used to be an unspoken rule among passengers:

Glad to hear this! My children are turning 18 years old now, but back in the day when they were babies, going to hospital was tough. It was common sense to fold the baby stroller even when the train was not crowded. I had to carry the two sisters, one in my left arm and another in my right, and I would push the folded stroller with the front of my body.

Passengers with baby strollers face additional issues at stations, such as wheels becoming caught in gaps between the platform and train and moving through the station between floors. Most train stations are equipped with at least one elevator, meant for the elderly, wheelchair-bound and passengers with strollers to use.

Some web users responded negatively toward the new rule. One mother was skeptical about it's effectiveness after reading heartless responses to the news:

The Tipitaka (Pali ti, “three,” + pitaka,
“baskets”), or Pali canon, is the collection of primary Pali language
texts which form the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism. The
Tipitaka and the paracanonical Pali texts (commentaries, chronicles, etc.) together constitute the complete body of classical Theravada texts.

The Pali canon is a vast body of literature: in English translation
the texts add up to thousands of printed pages. Most (but not all) of
the Canon has already been published in English over the years. Although
only a small fraction of these texts are available on this website,
this collection can be a good place to start.

The three divisions of the Tipitaka are:

Vinaya Pitaka
The collection of texts concerning the rules of conduct governing the daily affairs within the Sangha — the community of bhikkhus (ordained monks) and bhikkhunis
(ordained nuns). Far more than merely a list of rules, the Vinaya
Pitaka also includes the stories behind the origin of each rule,
providing a detailed account of the Buddha’s solution to the question of
how to maintain communal harmony within a large and diverse spiritual
community.
Sutta Pitaka
The collection of suttas, or discourses, attributed to the Buddha
and a few of his closest disciples, containing all the central teachings
of Theravada Buddhism. (More than one thousand sutta translations are
available on this website.) The suttas are divided among five nikayas (collections):

Abhidhamma Pitaka
The collection of texts in which the underlying doctrinal principles
presented in the Sutta Pitaka are reworked and reorganized into a
systematic framework that can be applied to an investigation into the
nature of mind and matter.

For further reading

Where can I find a copy of the complete Pali canon (Tipitaka)? (Frequently Asked Question)
Beyond the Tipitaka: A Field Guide to Post-canonical Pali Literature
Pali Language Study Aids offers links that may be useful to Pali students of every level.
Handbook of Pali Literature, by Somapala Jayawardhana
(Colombo: Karunaratne & Sons, Ltd., 1994). A guide, in dictionary
form, through the Pali canon, with detailed descriptions of the major
landmarks in the Canon.
An Analysis of the Pali Canon, Russell Webb, ed. (Kandy:
Buddhist Publication Society, 1975). An indispensable “roadmap” and
outline of the Pali canon. Contains an excellent index listing suttas by
name.
Guide to Tipitaka, U Ko Lay, ed. (Delhi: Sri Satguru
Publications, 1990). Another excellent outline of the Tipitaka,
containing summaries of many important suttas.
Buddhist Dictionary, by Nyanatiloka Mahathera (Kandy:
Buddhist Publication Society, 1980). A classic handbook of important
terms and concepts in Theravada Buddhism.

Dīgha Nikāya
[dīgha:
long] The Dīgha Nikāya gathers 34 of the longest discourses given by
the Buddha. There are various hints that many of them are late additions
to the original corpus and of questionable authenticity.
Sutta Piṭaka

The Sutta Piṭaka contains the essence of the Buddha’s teaching
regarding the Dhamma. It contains more than ten thousand suttas. It is
divided in five collections called Nikāyas.

Dīgha Nikāya
[dīgha: long] The Dīgha Nikāya gathers 34 of the longest
discourses given by the Buddha. There are various hints that many of
them are late additions to the original corpus and of questionable
authenticity.

Potthapada,
perception arises first, and knowledge after. And the
arising of knowledge comes from the arising of perception. One discerns,
‘It’s in dependence on this that my knowledge has arisen.’ Through this
line of reasoning one can realize how perception arises first, and
knowledge after, and how the arising of knowledge comes from the arising
of perception

TWEET:one can realize how perception arises first, and knowledge after, and how the arising of knowledge comes from the arising of perception

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkw6H1u4rZY
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